St. Louis Cardinals: Adam Wainwright Saves Cardinals, Bullpen

It wasn’t certain what we’d get from the Cardinals and Mets on Sunday night. After all, they did just finish a 20-inning game the night before.

Of course, the players were going to be tired, relievers overworked from the night before and everyone else pretty much mentally exhausted from six hour and 53 minute marathon.

One big question was going to be about the availability of the relievers on both sides, as 19 Mets pitchers and 16 Cardinals pitchers were used in Saturday night’s game.

While John Maine didn’t help his case, letting his pitch count to go above 100 in just five innings, Adam Wainwright was virtually the polar opposite.

Wainwright threw a complete game with nine strikeouts and allowed only four hits, all on just 107 pitches and kept the relievers from being more overworked than they already were.

A three-run second inning that was a product of a throwing error by Wainwright was the only blemish on his stellar day. From that point on, Wainwright was simply too much for the Mets hitters.

In fact, he seemed to get better as the game went on. Six of his nine strikeouts came from the fifth inning on.

It was Wainwright’s third win in as many starts and the third time already this season that he’s gone six innings or more in a start.

He was also able to make a difference on the offensive side.

With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, manager Tony La Russa opted to leave Wainwright in the game to hit against recently called up relieved Tobi Stoner.

Wainwright answered with a double down the left field line to give the Cardinals a chance to score and take the lead. Ryan Ludwick then came up two batters later and joined Colby Rasmus in the home run department, when he took a Ryota Igarashi fastball deep to left-center field for the lead and ultimately the win.

Wainwright needed just eight pitches in the ninth to finish of the Mets for the win.

The remarkable start coupled with the late heroics by Ludwick amounted to a dramatic finish to what was a crazy series between the Mets and Cardinals.

Wainwright has now won his last seven decisions in the month of April.